The Platte County Citizen

Despite rumors floating around, Edgerton’s annual festival Pioneer Days will be held as scheduled later this year.

The annual event allows, Edgerton residents and those from surrounding areas to come together to celebrate the community’s history while also having fun. Admission, parking and most of the entertainment are free.

Citizen file photoThe annual Pioneer Days festival in Edgerton, Mo. will go on as planned this year, although organizers continue to seek help for the event moving forward. Recent efforts have saved Pioneer Days, but more volunteers are needed moving forward.

While funding ran low last year, a group of concerned citizens helped save Pioneer Days, and this year’s event will go on as planned even after a recent chili cookoff was nixed due to low interest.

“The Pioneer Days Committee has heard that there is a pretty widespread rumor that this year’s Pioneer Days Festival has been cancelled; it has not been cancelled,” said Jordan Keefhaver, 2017 president of the Pioneer Days committee. “We do not foresee any reasons to cancel.”

This year’s Pioneer Days, held each fall, is slated to run from Friday, Sept. 8 to Sunday, Sept. 10. Entertainment scheduled to appear includes The Bill Boswell Band with Bum Williams, Jack Klein and the Missouri Rebels, Ben Johnson (an Elvis Tribute Artist), Under the Old Oak Tree and Teddy and the Bears.

The committee is currently selling raffle tickets, cookbooks and T-shirts that are all available during open hours at the Edgerton City Hall and will be available at July and August fundraiser events. On Saturday, July 22, the committee will be hosting an ice cream social and bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Legion Building in Edgerton as well as hosting a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. also at the American Legion.

According to Keefhaver, the fish fry held Friday, Sept. 8 remains one of the festival’s biggest fundraisers with Mary and Lawrence Jackson annually helping put that together.

“We really appreciate their hard work and the meal is always delicious,” Keefhaver said.

The Pioneer Days Committee is made up of Keefhaver, Lisa Harmer, Pam Freeman, Myrna Weese, Charlene Cook and Sheryl Hanks. They continue to look for volunteers to help with fundraising and working the festival.

Anyone interested can contact members of the committee or send an email to edgertonpioneerdays@gmail.com. Vendors or anyone looking to have a booth can also send an email or go online to the event’s website and fill out the application.

“If there is to be a 2018 Pioneer Days Festival, we will need to have several volunteers come forward and form a 2018 committee,” Keefhaver said. “If anyone is interested, they should contact us as soon as possible. It pays to start as early as possible, which would be in October of this year.”